I have a friend that worked for SSDI as a claims reviewer. He was the person that read through the applications and all the supporting medical documentation to determine if the person was eligible or not to receive SSDI. He was actually encouraged to approve as many people as possible. At his office, no one was ever automatically denied. The only people that got denied were either ineligible (e.g.: they wanted disability because they work on their feet all day, and sometimes their back or feet are sore) or the applicant failed to provide additional required documentation within the allotted time frame or missed required doctor's appointments.

I've consulted him and the information he has given me is presented below.

First, he wants you to know that SSDI is an INSURANCE policy that you have been paying premiums for, over your entire employment career. It is specifically for situations in which someone cannot work due to a medical issue. In other words, you paid for it, so you will not be "living off the government." Here is the official definition from the SSA: "The law defines disability as the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity (SGA) by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment(s) which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months."

To get approved for bipolar disorder, you must provide your medical records from EVERY doctor (he stressed that they MUST be MDs or PhDs, Nurse Practitioners (NPs or APNs) and Physician Assistants (PAs) don't count) that has treated you for it, for as far back as it has been affecting your jobs, but at least the past twelve months. He did say that NPs or PAs can be used as supporting evidence, but not the only evidence. If you haven't seen an MD or PhD, the SSA will pay for you to see one of theirs.

This lists the criteria that must be met. If you meet this criteria, you will get approved. If you do not, there are other factors that will be considered, specifically, your RFC which is your Residual Functional Capacity. This will be determined by an SSA doctor that will look at the Mental Status Exam form that your MD(s) fills out, the supporting documentation in your medical records, and also your age (people under 55 have a VERY hard time getting approved, but that doesn't mean they don't).

One impediment to approval is if the SSA tries to find you a job they feel you are capable and qualified for, this is called skills transfer.

The biggest thing you've got working against you is that you're young, educated, and have had an intellectually challenging career and therefore had to go through the stress to get there. You must show that something changed, and that it is unlikely to improve for at least twelve months.

All that said, don't let any of this scare you! He had an applicant in your age category that was approved for bipolar disorder.

I hope things start going better for you!! If you have any questions, let me know! less

A little back story and a poll (because I know you guys love polls).

First off, I want to apologize for not being around as much as I used to. For those that don't know, I have Bipolar I (link to WebMD in case you don't know what Bipolar is). I've been in a bad episode that have progressively worsened over the last six months and I just haven't been able to contribute like before. I'm going to try to come back to at least the forums and hopefully reviewing after that.

Anyhow, I've been on medical leave from work for a little over three months. We've made three major medicine changes with no luck. Even when I'm "stable" I still have smaller mood swings that cause me to be unreliable at best at work. I have a lot of absences and I can't deal with changes well. Stress is a huge trigger for me and will send me off into major mood swings. Due to all of this and given my two most recent serious episodes, my doctors have suggested that I go on Social Security Disability.

Now, I was working at a fairly high power job. I made good money and put a lot of weight on my success at work determining my success as a person. Failing at that made me feel like a failure at life in general. The thought of going from that to staying at home living off the government is scary to me.

The process of applying for SSD is even more overwhelming, especially because I'm so sick right now. My mind just isn't in a good place to be filling out forms. I also hear that everyone gets declined the first go round and then you have to get a lawyer to appeal. I'm told the whole process can take a year or more.

I'm terrified. I'm overwhelmed. I have a thousand emotions running through me and I just don't know what to do.

So I figured I'd come to my Eden friends. Have any of you ever been on SSD? If so, what has your experience been? Did you have to go through the appeals process? How did you deal with going from working to being on SSD? What do you do with your time at home so you don't go crazy with boredom? What emotions did you go through during the process and how did you deal with them?

Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks, guys! less

Thanks for all that great, insider info Asphyxia! It's been so long since I had to go through all that, I'd forgotten a lot of it.

Your friend sounds very nice, and like they really tried to help people. Sometimes we do get cynical when dealing with government workers so often, it was nice to be reminded that we shouldn't be so close-minded about the workers either! less

Thank you all so much for the advice and support! Keep it coming!

Housework and volunteering are great ideas. Those things have sounded overwhelming lately, but maybe getting out and doing something would be good for me. Plus my new meds have made me swing manic, so now I'm pacing around my house going nuts.

P'Gell - I get migraines too, so I feel your pain. I hear fibromyalgia is terrible. I'm sorry your insurance is being a pain. I have much hatred for insurance companies. I'm considered "uninsurable" so they can just all go to hell. lol less

Thanks, honey, I hope you're feeling better soon. Does your doctor know you're swinging UP from the new meds? Just call and let him know, it may be normal for that med (I don't know, and it's not my field, so I don't want to guess) just so it will be in the chart and he can talk to you for a minute. OK? Please tell me you'll do that?

Yeah, the migraines and the fibro suck. I HATE insurance companies, they try to control what meds I take and how much, even if my doctor says differently. They've threatened to "cut" me off, if I do certain things, which I found out was illegal. Read them the riot act, but my husband's work doesn't have HR! When I try to call the insurance company, their new policy is "we don't argue with customers." Meaning, "We don't give a shit if what we are doing is wrong, illegal or against the rules. We won't talk to anyone about it." I've been letting my doctors fight my battles for me, they're the only ones who can get through and make an impression.

It should be ILLEGAL to not insure sick people as we are those who need it the most. Isn't some new law about not bumping people for pre-existing conditions supposed to kick in soon?

So help me, if the Right tries to undo these Health Care advances..... so help me.... Rich bastards. How dare they even consider making things more difficult for the poor and the middle class. I hope the bastards lose.... I'm gonna shut up now. less

Don't worry! I had an emergency appointment with her last Friday. We cut the med that was causing it in half and added in a rescue med. She keeps getting emails from me daily on how it's going so we can increase the rescue med as needed. I harass the heck out of my doctors. LOL And yeah, it's really common for antidepressants to cause mania in Bipolar patients.

WTF?! Is there someone you can report them to if they're doing things illegally like that? That's terrible.

I saw some website about the insurance for pre-existing conditions. You have to be uninsured for six months to qualify is all I know. It exists, which is good, but six months uninsured would put me in bankruptcy with what my meds and doctors all cost. less

Thank you guys so much!! This has been a huge help!

indiglo - My therapist said one of her clients had a SSD doctor meet with her with his back turned to her the whole time, asked her three questions, and said she could go. WTF?! How could you make a determination like that? Plus - how rude! I'd probably leave crying and having a panic attack. I'm incredibly nervous about seeing their doctor.

asphyxia - Question. My therapist is a doctor, I believe PhD. I see her weekly and her info will be the most useful for my case as well as the MD I saw as a child/teenager. My current MD has some info that will be helpful, but unless I'm in crisis mode, I usually only see her once every three months, so she's not as up to date on my daily struggles as my therapist is. (My therapist is actually a psychologist/psychiatr ist - I always get which is meds and which is therapy confused). Will they take her info as primary?

Also, if I've gone through the stress of getting there but have had increasingly worse cycles because of it, would that count as "change"? It's not that my illness has changed, it's just that stress itself is a trigger and the more that's been placed the worse my swings have become. Also, Bipolar has what's called the Kindling Effect, meaning that each cycle becomes worse than the last. Would that count?

Thank you for the inside scoop! less

I offer my support to you all the way. SSD and actually winning your case can be terribly difficult. I was on it when I was a child due to some life hindering breathing problems I had, but I overcame them once I became a teenager.

However, now I have this rare pancreatic disease and I've been fighting Social Security for almost 3.5 years now. It's an uphill battle and it takes lots of family/friend support and determination to keep challenging the very flawed system.

I feel like I have no life now because there are days when I can hardly get out of the bathroom or bed because of how terrible Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction is. (I have the rarest and hardest to treat type, which is type III). I went from being a popular, superstar university student, working and doing so much with life to the way I am now: Extremely depressed, on constant medications, and I have a low opinion of myself as a person. Most of my friends sort of went on without me and never check in on me. None of them visited me when I was in the hospital numerous times, even when I called them. It is a terrible situation to be in, and I feel for anyone who has to go through anything similar, AND have Social Security treat you like a lying idiot.

I wish you all the luck in the world and hopefully both of us can get our medical issues taken care of properly.

PS. I also have a lawyer, but he pisses me off...He's practically worthless and I am considering finding a new one. I really wish I didn't have such a complicated case. Again, good luck! less

I've been in the process of trying to get disability for about a year and a half. I have anxiety/PTSD/panic attacks. I'm pretty normal when I'm just at home hanging out, but I can't drive very far and I can't deal with being out in social situations for very long. (More to it than that, obviously, but I'm not going to bore you with details.) The last few months at my last job were pretty much a nightmare.

But it's been a struggle because the doctors they send me to for evaluations ask questions like who the president is, if I can count to 40 by 3's, and how I'd find my way if I got lost in the woods. And then I get back their decision that I "have some restrictions, but nothing that should keep me from working".

My best advice is to find a REALLY good lawyer. I'm about to drop mine, because he's basically done nothing. I hope things go well for you! less